Getting Ahead Through Online Education

Online Education Partnership (OEP Asia) caters to parents and students in search of excellent web-based tutors and schools seeking to develop campuses in the region.

Education is a vital societal pillar in Hong Kong. OEP Asia began as an online tutoring business for Hong Kong parents to provide a brighter future for their children. That opened doors to its rapidly expanding education consultancy business assisting investors, developers and school operators to set up international schools in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Southeast Asia. Both streams of its businesses rely on online platforms for its day-to-day operations, allowing the company to function efficiently with minimal staff, quick turnaround and cost efficiency. For different projects, it draws upon a network of partner SMEs in the region including lawyers, architects, fund managers and designers.

OEP Asia works with local and regional clients for both its tutoring and school development businesses, though the latter also includes schools and companies from the UK and Europe. Managing Director Rebecca Merrett feels that the city’s proximity to the Greater Bay Area and its solid tech infrastructure make Hong Kong a natural place for OEP Asia to flourish.

Learning through connecting online

“OEP Asia is dependent on being able to meet — online and in person — easily with clients from a number of countries,” Merrett explained. “The online connectivity here is reliable and open. Our business relies on freedom of information, rule of law, and a strong and convertible currency. We need to have technology infrastructure that is reliable and integrated into the international business community. Hong Kong has a great reputation and track record in providing international education, so clients from other countries often look at the standards here to help plan their new schools in Mainland China and other Southeast Asian countries.”

Merrett feels that Hong Kong offers excellent clusters of EdTech solution providers with the latest digital technologies for school management functions including admissions, marketing and creating virtual learning environments. “Technology also makes project collaboration among different parties easier, even across different time zones,” she noted.

As an established Hong Kong resident, Merrett appreciates the city’s diversity. “Together with Hong Kong residents, it creates a rich community in which to live and work,” she said. “We are spoilt for the talent you can find here. As well as finding multilingual staff in English, Putonghua and Cantonese, there is also dynamism, reliability and a traditional work ethic that are so unique to Hong Kong.”

Work and play in Hong Kong

InvestHK has played a supporting role to help OEP Asia thrive, through advice on set up and expansion, networking events and possible client referrals with the same synergy. Indeed, Merrett feels that there is no better place to operate OEP Asia than Hong Kong. “On the business side, it gives you the networks, connectivity and proximity to key markets especially Mainland China,” she stated. “As a lifestyle choice, it offers such a range of living options for different budgets. I love that it is such a safe city, and that my 12-year-old can travel easily around by herself on buses and the MTR, giving her a real sense of independence.”